It’s Roy (Dr. Goldman’s dog)! I hope you all had a good holiday season! My vacation involved chilling at home with my mom and human siblings. It started really well especially with these tips on how to eat, drink, and party safely from my mom Dr. Goldman, but the end of it was not good. My ears became really itchy and painful. Let me tell you, the smell that came out was not so good either…

Guess what I got for the New Year?

My best “I’ve been a nice doggy so please let me eat” face

Yep, you guessed right… I got an ear infection!

Now what?

My mom says many dogs get ear infections and some dogs suffer from infections quite frequently. The most common cause of ear infections are allergies to certain food ingredients or environmental causes or both . However, some dog breeds are more likely to get ear infections because the structure of their ear canal causes more wax build up. Other causes can be irritation from water after a bath (that’s probably why my neighbour, Max, the Golden retriever, has so many infections in the summer after going swimming).

Guess what my mom first did after examining my ears? Yep, shoved a long Q-tip and got a swab (from both sides!). I didn’t see that coming… seriously mom???

Then, she special stained it to help her see what it was under the microscope. She wanted to know what type of bugs I was growing in there – if it was mostly a bacterial or a yeast infection or maybe a combination of the two (some dogs can also get ear mites) … Gross! I am so itchy right now… but mom says she sees ear mites mostly in younger dogs and puppies).

Mom was determined I had a yeast infection, and chose the right ear drops to help me better. She cleaned my ears and put in medicated ear drops. I didn’t want to cooperate at first because it was so sensitive, but within a couple of days I was starting to feel much better. I forgave mom and was thankful for her helping me get better. Now that I am not stinky anymore, I can nap on the sofa with my brother and I’m allowed back on mom and dad’s bed! They’re thrilled to have me back.

Ear infection is all better and I’m napping with my siblings again.

Dr. Goldman’s takeaway: if your dog or cat is starting to shake his or her head, scratch their ears and/or have a bad smell coming out of the ears, they most likely have an ear infection. It is important to get a vet to examine his or her ears, get the right ear drop medicine to get rid of infection resolves and to make your pet healthy and happy again. If you don’t get it fixed, your dog or cat could have serious hearing loss or even a brain infection, which may only be treated by surgery.

You can call 416.292.7804 or email vets@millikenvet.com to book an appointment with Dr. Goldman if you have any questions about ears, infections, or anything else for your dog or cat.

I keep hearing my mommy (you know her as your vet Dr. Goldman) reminding everyone what not to give me over the holiday season (or ever…), so here is a quick reminder for everyone (because I’ll feel better knowing I am not the only one being deprived.

My human siblings eat lots of sweets during this time of year, and I try to get into chocolates, cookies and even sugarless gum, but guess what… mommy says all of these are not good for me. Sugarless gum sweetened with Xylitol is toxic to pets! Xylitol is a fake sweetener that makes dogs release extra insulin. Mommy says I could get low blood sugar, and it could be toxic to my liver. To warn my human siblings, she said I might become low energy, stumble around, or even collapse and go into coma. So, no thank you, I’ll pass on the gum.

Fatty, fried or spicy leftovers are also off limits. Mommy says I can get a really bad tummy ache, diarrhea, vomit and even pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is often very painful and can cause me to die.

I should know better…but I still try to jump and grab food off the counter top!

And yes, you guessed it… while everyone else is drinking cocktails, I am not allowed any alcohol! Apparently this is toxic to dog and cats too. Alcohol can move quickly from the blood stream into the brain. It depresses my central nervous system. Dogs are sensitive to alcohol so I can get tipsy with a few sips. If I drink more, I could vomit, get tired and stumble and could even become blind, stop breathing and go into coma.

So, while feeling a bit like I’m missing out on all the fun but also all of the pain, my family did spoil me with some special treats. Mommy says chew toys that are indestructible are fine, so I got a big Kong and she stuffed it with some peanut butter (obviously, the one without Xylitol!). I have to say it was pretty good, although I felt silly for the ridiculous amount of time I’ve spent trying to get all the peanut butter out. The picture is me exhausted…still mad at mom for taking this photo (but it does capture my good side).

Please call 416.292.7804 or email vets@millikenvet.com to book an appointment if you have any questions. Also, you can share my post to help other pets have a safe and fun winter holiday (or at least help me feel less bad for being deprived of eggnog).